India's Energy Strategy: Embracing Energy Realism

India's energy import dependence poses significant national security risks. With over 85% of its crude oil and more than 50% of its natural gas imported, India faces increasing vulnerabilities due to geopolitical tensions and supply chain disruptions. This urgency is further underscored by India's heavy reliance on Russian oil, which has grown to account for 35%-40% of its crude imports by 2024-25, up from a mere 2% before the Ukraine conflict.

Global Energy Security Challenges

• 1973 Oil Embargo: The Arab oil embargo quadrupled crude prices, exposing the West's dependency on OPEC and prompting strategic petroleum reserves and diversified sourcing strategies.
• 2011 Fukushima Disaster: Triggered global skepticism about nuclear energy but prompted a re-evaluation due to rising emissions.
• 2021 Texas Freeze: Highlighted the limitations of cost-efficient systems and the need for resilient, diversified infrastructure.
• 2022 Russia-Ukraine War: Europe's energy crisis underscored the dangers of single-source dependency.
• 2025 Iberian Peninsula Blackout: Demonstrated risks associated with over-reliance on intermittent renewables without proper backup systems.

India's Energy Sovereignty Doctrine

India must pursue an energy strategy anchored in domestic capacity, diversified technology, and resilient systems. The strategy comprises five foundational pillars:

• Coal Gasification: Utilizing India's 150 billion tonnes of coal reserves through technological advancements in gasification and carbon capture to produce syngas, methanol, and hydrogen.
• Biofuels: The ethanol blending program has reduced crude imports, providing over ₹92,000 crore to farmers. Initiatives like the SATAT scheme can enhance rural income and improve soil health.
• Nuclear Energy: Reviving thorium roadmaps and localizing Small Modular Reactor technologies to establish nuclear as a zero-carbon baseload.
• Green Hydrogen: Developing local electrolyser manufacturing and storage systems to achieve the target of five million metric tonnes by 2030.
• Pumped Hydro Storage: Leveraging India's topography for durable, proven storage infrastructure essential for grid balancing.

Strategic Energy Shift

• India's shift from sourcing over 60% of crude oil from West Asia to below 45% exemplifies its strategic reorientation. 
• The Israel-Iran ceasefire presents an opportunity for India to entrench these changes and strengthen its energy resilience.

The focus on uninterrupted, affordable, and indigenous energy positions India to lead with energy realism — not just as a reactive measure, but as a proactive step toward energy sovereignty and macroeconomic stability in an uncertain 21st-century landscape.